Roller Girl is a YA novel published by Victoria Jamieson in 2015. Jamieson is credited with not only writing but also illustrating the book because it is a graphic novel. This form of storytelling is certainly not for everybody and for those readers still resistant to the form, Jamieson has told a story with vivid drawings that just may be enough to change perspectives.
The often-ironic humor begins when a mother's "Evenings of Cultural Enrichment" unexpectedly turns into a night at the raucous local roller derby competition being held at a creepy playground one night. Previous outings to modern art exhibits and opera performances are almost instantly forgotten as Astrid and her best friend Nicole are treated to the sight of empowered young women on wheels rolling around an oval track and physically establishing and defending their territory. Alternatively, failing to do so and losing points. Astrid is captivated beyond mere excitement for a night and dedicates the rest of the story to becoming a roller derby competitor herself. Along the way to fulfilling that goal, however, she manages to lose her best friend while also coming into a conflict with a new friend named Zoey. Zoey is also trying to carve a place for herself in the roller derby world.
The very opening line of the novel situates the narrative arc that the story will pursue: "If you want to know, it all began back in fifth grade. Back when Nicole and I were still best friends." These opening words are framed within a rectangular text box over an image of Astrid and Nicole sharing a single umbrella as they follow Astrid's mother to the car for the promised night of being culturally enriched. It will turn out to be a kind of literary joke. The next-last-last panel of this graphic novel shows Astrid sitting at a round table in a restaurant surrounded by a bunch of friends—none of whom are Nicole. She announces to her friends, "That's the story of my roller derby fame." And so, it turns out that the narration is not being directed at the reader, but rather to these new friends. Astrid characterizes that story as being her trek from not even knowing what a roller derby is to becoming a hero for sacrificing personal glory for the greater good of the team.
The leap from that opening panel of this graphic novel to the final pages encapsulates the true focus of the story, however. Astrid's tale is not one of losing a friend due to a divergence of interests resulting from growing up, although that is a component. The key to the power of the tale lies less in the friendship with Nicole that fizzles than in the conflict with her new friend Zoey. Zoey and Astrid share the same desire for attaining a place on the roller derby team. Roller derby becomes a metaphor for life and maturity. Astrid must first learn the very basics of the sport by simply mastering the art of being on wheels. Along the way, she must also learn the complexity of the scoring rules. Those rules often go unlearnt even by fans of the sport. She and Zoey must compete for the same position on the same team and when things do not go Astrid's way, she is forced to deal with rejection as well as understanding the different roles required for teamwork and cooperation to co-exist within teamwork and competition. Ultimately, the final panels of the story are a commentary on the opening panel.
Astrid sits surrounded by a wealth of new friends as she basks in being the center of attention, but not in a self-centered way. The opening panel shows Astrid and Nicole sharing an umbrella in the rain and laughing, but it is not a true portrait of the relationship. Astrid must ultimately tear herself from Nicole because she has defined herself as her best friend. She has not yet learned the intricacies of cooperation and competition within the abstract concept of being a team. She and Nicole are, for all practical purposes, a team of two rather than separate individuals. While Astrid peels off to pursue the roller derby, Nicole goes off to pursue her interests. She also ultimately replaces Astrid with a new best friend who urges Nicole to join her in bullying Astrid. The story of Nicole is not pursued to the degree of Astrid's, but the story suggests that Nicole has merely replaced Astrid and has not yet made the journey to emotional maturity. The final panel showing Astrid surrounded by friends and being herself signals that she has succeeded in finding that destination herself.
